Rotary kiln



R. C. BUEHL Nov. 21, 1944.

ROTARY KILN Filed Feb. 3, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l NVENTOR. @A1/M C. ma wIr/vfssfs. BY A Orri..

s l? T TURNE YS.

RL c. BUEHL Nov 21, 1944.

ROTARY KI LN Filed Feb. 3, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR. @M @WQ WIT/VESSES. 3%'

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v Patented' Nov. 121,'V

ROTARY xILN Russell Buehl, Wilkinsburg, Pa., assignor to Plastic Metals, Inc., Johnstown, Pa., a corpora.-

tion of New York Application February s, 194s, serial No. 414,599

(crass-22)' 12 Claims.

This invention relates to the production in rotary kilns of materials; such as sponge iron, which are Jsusceptible to oxidation during cooling from elevated temperatures, and to rotary kilns for such purposes. l The invention is applicable particularly to the production of sponge iron and for that reason it will be described, by way of illustration, with specific reference thereto. Spongeiron may be produced readily by heating a mixture of iron ore and acarbonaceous reducing agent, such as coke or coal, to a suitable temperature. It has ybeen found that for this purpose direct, fired rotary kilns are especially suitable.' A'l'he reduction takes place rapidly at a relatively high temperature, of the order of'1800 F., but if the reduced iron is discharged immediately to the atmosphere, it oxidizes to a substantial extent, which is`of course highly objectionable because the content of elementaliron in the sponge is thereby decreased,v The best practice known prior to the present invention was to discharge the hot sponge through a hooded spout or a discharge tube which protected it from contact with air and fed it to a' hopper provided with cooling coils, a water jacketed worm, or similar means for cooling it. Such practice-was not wholly satisfactory, however, because of difculties in maintaining an air-tight seal between the furnace and the cooling means, and in cooling the material at an adequate rate while maintaining satisfactory kiln output. In consequence of such factors thesponge iron produced heretofore has been oxidized to an undesirable extent.

It is. among the objects of the present invention to provide a rotary kiln process of producing sponge iron and other materials, which must be cooled before vbeing discharged to the air, which represses to a minimum oxidation of the product as it is discharged from the kiln, and which is simple, easily practiced and does not require complicated apparatus or interfere with existing kiln practice. y.

' A further object is to provide a rotary kiln The'invention will be described in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in'which Fig. 1 is a vertical elevation, partly in section', longitudinally ofthe discharge end of a rotary kiln in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 across sectional view taken on line II-II, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a fragmentary sectional view taken on line III-III, Fig. 1, showing one embodiment of valve means for eifecting periodic discharge of the furnace product; and Fig. 4 a view similarto Fig- 3 showing the valve means in closed position.

, In accordance with the present invention sponge iron is producedv by passing a mixture of iron ore and a suitable carbonaceous reducing agent through a direct fired rotary kiln to effect reduction of 'the ore and produce sponge iron, e. g., .in accordance with practice standardin the art.

The hot sponge iron produced is discharged from d the furnace, while protecting it from contact with air or other oxygen-containing gases, into a drum, most suitably one `which surrounds the kiln adjacent its discharge end and rotates with a. cooling chamber inthe kiln, which providesx which the sponge iron is partly cooled. lt is then discharged from the drum into a discharge pipe which is'coiled peripherally around the kiln and rotates with it. The primary function of this coil is to provide an automatic seal which prevents air from entering the drum, but it may be, and preferably is, of such diameter and length that in its travel therethrough the sponge iron is furthercooled so that it is at a temperature ,ai-[which substantial oxidation does not occur when it is' discharged into contact with air.

which is particularly adapted for use in the prol duction of sponge iron and other materials which are'susceptible to oxidation at elevated temperatures or must be cooled before coming into con-A tact with air, which is of simple construction and may be used in conformity with existing operating practice,y is sturdy,',does not increase the length of floor space required, and whose use materlally'im'proves lthe results to be had.

Other objects will appear from the following description.

,'Preferably, the drum surrounds the end of the furnace and the pipe is coiled so that the materialmoves through it counter to its movement through the kiln. v

The drawings represent an illustrative embodiment of the invention. Fig. 1 shows the discharge end of a rotary kiln of conventional con-- 4struction comprising a metallic shell iv provided with a suitable refractory lining -2. Mounted in the end of'the kiln is a refractory burner ring whose opening -4 receives a burner, not shown, .whichmay bel of anysuitable type, such asa gas, oil 'or powdered, coal burner. The burner is supported by an end plate 5in such manner' as to avoid seepage of air into the kiln chamber 6.

Mounted exteriorly of thel kiln and connected to shell lare a pairof spaced metallic ring merri-y bers |,which support a tubular metallic baille member 8 concentrically 'of and in spacedrela-l tion to the shell. Surroundingbafile `8v immediately adjacent the discharge` end of the kiln is the pipe into the a drum4 member 9. suitably of rectangular cross section, formed from metallic sheet or plate. and connected, as by welding. to baille 8. The sponge iron, or other product, from the kiln is discharged into the drum through an opening III in the kiln wall which is provided with a liner II, suitably of a high chromium-nickel steel, such as lil-8 or other alloy steel which is resistant to oxidation at elevated temperatures. Mounted within tube II is a butteriiy valve I2 carried by a stem I3 provided with a handle member I4 for adjustment of the opening to regulate the size of material that can 'pass from the kiln into the cooling drum, or the rate of discharge from the kiln to the drum. Stem I3 extends through a packing gland I3Il which preventsy leakage oLair into the kiln.

Connected to the side wall of drum 9, most suitably at a point remote from the point where tube II enters it, is a pipe I5 which is coiled around the periphery of the kiln, preferably a plurality of times, between members 1, as seen in Fig. l. Ring membersv I and :baille 8 serve a func tion described hereinafter. l

Anvimportant feature of the invention in its preferred embodiment resides in providing the outer end of pipe I5 with iiow control means, one embodiment of which is shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. As appears particularly from Fig. 3, a gate member I8 is pivotally connected to a support Il carried by kiln shell I, and normally it is urged against the opening of the pipe, to close it as seen in Fig. 4, by a spring member IBI! connected at one end to pipe I5 and at the other to valve member I5. Mounted' beneath the kiln isa hopper member I8 provided with supporting means I9 for carrying a stationary trip member 'positioned to strike gate I 5, as shown in Fig. 3, during the travel of the end of pipe I5 over the hopper I8, to open it against the tension of spring I 50 and permit the furnace product to be discharged from hopper. The hopper may be elongate corresponding to the period oi the valve opening, and most -suitably trip member 20 is mounted for adjustment in support I9 to permit adjustment of the time and length of opening of the valve. This permits regulation of the quantity of material which is discharged through the gate with each revolution of the kiln, which in turn controls the dwell of the sponge iron in pipe I5, and consequently'regulation of the rate of cooling of the material prior to contact with the atmosphere.

If desired, clean-out openings 2I and 22 may -be provided opposite the connection between drum 9 and pipe I5 and opposite the discharge tube I I, respectively.

In the use of kilns as thus provided, and in accordance with the method provided by the invention, a charge or the material to be treated in the kiln, such as' a mixture of iron ore and coal or other carbonaceous reducing agent, is fed to the entry end of the kiln and moves through it as the kiln is rotated. During its travel it is heated and the desired reaction or other result takes place,'in this instance reduction of the iron ore to sponge iron. When the treated material reaches the discharge end, rotation of the kiln causes a portion of it to pass with each revolution through` tube II into the chamber provided by cooling drum Q, the discharge action being governed by the position of butterfly valve I2. In

longitudinally of itself" position shown in Fig. 2. This permits the pmsage of material which will move freely through the drum and the discharge pipe, but prevents the passage of large particles or lumps which might clog the cooling system. IfV the discharge opening from the kiln to the drum becomes clogged withl such oversize material, all that it is neces- -sary to do is to open the valve fully when the kiln has moved to bring it to its uppermost position. whereupon the oversize material will fall downwardly into the kiln.

With each rotation of the kiln some of the sponge iron carriedv in the cooling drum will nd its way through outlet I5a, Fig. 2, into discharge pipe I5. However, the construction is such that", as will be understood, the product from the kiln will tend to accumulate and remain for a sub` the hot zone, where it is most likely to undergo 2,

serious oxidation. a Means may be provided also to exclude from the coil lumps or balls of material of such size as might lodge in the coil and plug it. For example, a bar may be welded or otherwise mounted in opening I5a; any material which passes to either side of the -bar will be small enough to move` freely through the coil.

The entry of air is further prevented by the trip valve I6. This valve also serves to keep the coils' of pipe I5 and drum 9 more nearly illed because it retards, in controlled fashion, the rate of discharge and thus serves to prolong the stay of the material in the'cooling system. This re duces appreciably the temperature of the sponge iron, or permits more material to be cooled to the same discharge temperature. As an illustration, if pipe I5 consists of 9 coils and the kiln speed is 2 R. P. M., then with no valve at the open end of the pipe the material will pass through the calls in 41/2 minutes. By providing trip valve I6,

` Aor some other form of controllable discharge gate.

normal operation of such a kiln in the production 4 of sponge iron it has been found that satisfactory it is possible to keep the material in the coils for as much as 20 minutes with the same average discharge rate.

The materialA within the drum and discharge pipe will be cooled by loss of heat to the atmosphere, but the rate of cooling can be, and preferably is, accelerated, as by spraying water upon the top of the coils from a spray head 23,` and by providing a tank 24 through which water is circulated to submerge the lower ends of the pipe coil and cooling drum, as seen in Fig. 1. Members I act as shields to direct the water spray upon the coil, and with baille 8 they serve to prevent chilling of the shell of the kiln by the water. Inasmuch as the material being cooler always lies in the lower portions of the drum and coil in its passage from the kiln to the discharge end of pipe I 5, cooling at a maximum rate is attained in this manner, and by spraying water from the top this action is assisted because the exposed portions are cool when they come into contact with the hot material toward the bottom of their travel. When the drum and coil move through a water bath as just described, .the nal coil or two should be of smaller diameter than the remainder of the coil2 as shown in Fig. l, so that the dis Ycharge .end can be positioned outside of the cooltively thanany means p material remains in thekdrum a relatively long.

lextension of the ing around a plurality of t of a standard between said end of .a discharge pipe having one end connected to r one endA connected ing tank, as seen in Flg.=1.

I-ioppe'r I8 serves to directthe cooled furnace product asdesired, e. g. to a conveyor which carries it to a storage bin.

,Commercial operation of a kiln in accordance with this invention, for production of sponge iron,

has shown that the use of a cooling drum and discharge coil serve their purpose much more efiec posed heretofore. The

the coil, and this degree of cooling relatively time before finding its way into plays an important part in the attained. Also, it permits the use of a short coil as -compared with ironfrorjn the kiln. Y

` Various modifications are, of course, permissible. Thus, the'positionof the drum and coil mightbe interchanged, or thedrum made an kiln. Also, the coil- I6 need be to act as a seal instead of passonly long enough shown `is preferred, however, because the length kiln is not increased, stress on the kiln bearing is reduced as compared with a construction in which the drum forms an extenthe use of a dis'. charge coil which would receive the hot sponge connection opening matter from the kiln times. The embodiment f sion of the kiln, the coil acts as a supplementary cooling means, and the end is more accessible for cleaning or burner adjustment and repair.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I haveexplained'the principle and method of practicing my invention and have described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However. I'desire to have it understood that, A'Within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specilcally described.

I claim:

1. The combination with 'a rotary kiln of an airtight cooling drum associated with the discharge end oi' the kiln, a discharge connection the kiln and said drum, and

said drum, coiled about he periphery of the kiln.

2The combination with a rotary kiln of an airtight cooling drum associated with the discharge end of the kiln, a discharge connection between said end of the kiln and said drum, a butterfly valve mounted in said connection for controlling iiow o! solid matter from the kiln to the drum, and connected to said drum at a point remote from said connection opening and coiled about the periphery of the kiln. i

3. The combination with a rotary kiln of 'an airtightv cooling drum surrounding the V discharge end of the kilnto rotate therewith, an opening through the wall of said. end of the kiln into said drum, adjustable means associated with said. opening for controlling :llow of solid matter from the kiln tothe drum, and a discharge pipe having to said.drum and coiled 1a lrllilrality of times about the periphery of the '4. The-combination with a rotary kiln of an airtight cooling drum surrounding the discharge endo: the kiln to rotate therewith, an opening tlirou'gh the wall of said end of-thekiln into a discharge pipe having one end riphery ofthe kiln 'wall of said end of the through the Wall o'f said end of the kiln into said drumfadjustable means associated with said 'A opening for controlling flow of `solid matter from the kiln to the drum, and a discharge pipe having one end connected to said drum and coiled a plurality of times about the rperiphery of the -kiln in a direction such that. the material passes through it in a direction opposite that of its movement through the kiln.

6. The combination'with a rotary-kiln of an Y airtight cooling drum surrounding the discharge end of the kiln to rotate therewith, an opening through the wall of said end of the kiln into said drum, a butterfly valve mounted in saidA f or controlling flow of solid to the drum, and a discharge pipehaving one end connected to said drum at a point remote from said connection opening and coileda-plurality ofl times about the'pematerial' moves through it in a direction oppo. site that of its'movement through the kiln.

'1. A ,combination according to claim 1. the free end of said pipe being provided with intermittently acting discharge valve means.

8. A combination according to claim 4, the freev end of said pipe being provided with intermittently acting discharge valve means.

9. A-combination according to claim 6, the free end of said pipe bei/ng provided with intermittently acting discharge valve means.l

l0. The combination with a rotary kiln of an airtight cooling drum associated with the. discharge end of the kiln, an opening through the justable means associated with said opening for controlling iiow of solid matter from the kiln to the d rum, a discharge pipe having one. end connected to said drum at a point remote from said about the periphery of the kiln, a spring-impelled gate member normally closing the free end of said pipe, mounted to open said gate periodically.

11. The combination with a rotary kiln .of an airtight cooling drum surrounding the discharge end or the kiln to rotate therewith, an opening throughthe wall of said end which said gate member is open.

RUSSELL c. BUEHL.'

therewith, an opening l in a direction such, that the kiln into said drum, ad-

and trip means of the kiln-into said drumyadjustable means associatedwith said the periphery orA the 11 said trip means being adjustable to vary the point at' 

